What do you get when you combine two Dubliners, a South-African by the way of Austria and a Natile Merchant-esque gay Princeton grad? What you get is Audio Fiction, a great New York-based band that combines cool pop hooks with an anti-authority bent. “Songs in the Key of Orange Alert” was inspired by the New York “terror alert” status under which the songs were written so there is a definite political tinge to the songs but none as overt as on the great anti-war song “Tick Tock.” I have heard that the band are being compared as something like a cross between Blondie and No Doubt with a touch of Pretenders thrown in for good measure but really when it somes down to it, Audio Fiction have something to say and the fact that they can do that in a form that is danceable speaks volumes for their future. This 6 song EP has a lot of cool stuff with “Tick Tock” and “Wanna be Wild” among my particular favourites. Pretty cool stuff in my books and a definite refreshing left turn from the stuff I usually listen to. Give ’em a try and look out for an appearance by their drummer Mark O’Toole on a current episode of HBO’s “Taxicab Confessions!” You can sample the tunes from the EP on the “Music” section of their website.
Later.